Some movies are based on plays and you'd never know.  In others its blatantly 
apparent.  This is of the latter variety. 'Tape' is based on a play of the same 
name by Stephen Beller.  This movie, like its fellow transparent adaptations of 
plays, is dialog driven, and sedentary.

The scene: a motel room.  Vince (Ethan Hawk) has come to Lansing, MI, his 
hometown, to see his high school buddy, John's (Robert Sean Leonard) first film 
at the Lansing Film Festival.  Vince dated Amy (Uma Thurman) for a while in high 
school.  At the end of senior year, after Vince and Amy had split up, John and 
Amy 'got together' (i.e. had sex at a party).  Vince has invited John to meet 
him at his motel room to go out to dinner.  Enter John and ... action.

In the motel room the baton of control is stolen and passed between Vince and 
John as they cast judgment on each other in a way that only old friends can.  
This dynamic relationship is masterfully written and portrayed.  Climactically, 
it comes out that Vince may or may not have raped Amy during their brief tryst 
at the end of senior year.

*******I'm going to ruin part of this movie. if that matters to you.  see the 
movie, I liked it and found it thought provoking.***************

I realize that from a purely academic point of view, the movie isn't solely 
about the question of rape.  It's meant to be revealing of how out of control 
both Vince and John are.  That said, I find the questions of disputed rape and 
sexual harassment to be of the most engaging and challenging that the last 
generation has had to face as a society.  I realize that these are both 
sensitive topics. I've alienated even close friends by playing devil's advocate 
with difficult points of view.  Please, reader, bear with me.  I understand the 
severity of rape.  I understand the severity of sexual harassment.  However, the 
gray areas, though providing a very small margin of error, afford some 
tremendously interesting conversations and thoughts.  I found it unclear in 
'Tape' whether or not Amy considered the sex that she and John had to be rape. 
John believes he raped Amy.  There's very little of interest to discuss if Amy 
believes she was raped, well she was, John is a terrible man and should be sent 
to jail forever.  Let's say, for the sake of argument that Amy wanted to have 
sex with John. It was rough, yes, but people have consensual rough sex.  John 
believes he violated Amy, but Amy says he didn't, that she consented.  Did a 
rape take place? Is John guilty of rape?  In my opinion, no and yes.  John 
didn't rape Amy.  John consented to have sex with Amy; Amy consented to have sex 
with John.  So no rape.  However, John thought he was raping Amy.  He didn't 
know she wanted it, and he held her down, and fucked her.  From his point of 
view, John committed rape.  Though from an objective sense, there was no crime, 
no violation, John did in fact violate Amy.  John fucked Amy without regard for 
her consent. 

For more fodder for thought on this question, check out 'Oleanna'.  'Oleanna' 
looks at an alleged sexual harassment of a student by a professor, and raises 
some similar issues as 'Tape'.